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Portofino - Break Data
Surf spot travel photo of Portofino
Photo: www.mullerphilip.com
Description
Right by the motorway, in the middle of the desert, the small village of Portofino has one of the best rights of the Northern Region. This small village doesn't have any electricity; it is more like a conglomerate of small cabins by the coast, 15 minutes away from the slightly bigger village of Chañaral. Mostly inhabited, except for one person who lives there, yearlong, the keeper of the place and only local of this fine surf spot, Chico Christian. With 5 feet tall, he is the biggest surfer of this place and makes any tube he takes seem huge. Basically, he lives there looking after the houses for the owners, stays there year long and welcomes with arms wide open any surfer who will stop by to surf Portofino, a great guy to meet and know. Various Chilean surfers, on their various trips from the North to the Central Region, will stop their car or hop off the bus, to stay a couple of days and surf Portofino and make a break to the travel. This powerful right is constant and can offer tubing sections, nice ripable overhead walls and connections for aerial tricks, it breaks pretty close to shore and be careful going in and out, the rock bottom is covered with urchins.
-- Philip Muller 		Best Tide:
Half down emptying
Best Swell Direction:
Northwest
Best Size:
1 to 2 meters
Best Wind:
East wind, offshore
Perfect-O-Meter:
6 (1=Lake Erie; 10=Jeffreys Bay)
Bottom:
Rocks and sand
Ability Level:
Intermediate
Bring Your:
6'0"
Best Season:
February and October
Access:
Park right in front of the wave.
Crowd Factor:
No crowds, hardly anyone out, mostly Chico Christian...
Local Vibe:
Chico Christian is super cool with visitors, he receives and welcomes everyone.
Bicep Burn:
5 (1=1ft Waikiki; 10=15ft Ocean Beach)
Poo Patrol:
2 (1=clean; 10=turds in the lineup)
Shark Danger:
2 (1=none; 10=bring an iron cage)
Places To Eat
Basically, Portofino itself doesn't have any shops or restaurants; your best option is to plan on some food that you can prepare easily and on the spot. Chañaral is a 10-15 minutes drive up North and there is a supermarket and various small shops where you will be able to buy any food, it doesn't have any real restaurants as such, a couple of snack places. If you bring back the meat and coal, Chico Christian will prepare you happily an excellent barbecue, every day if you want.
Places To Stay
In Portofino, Christian can set you up a cabin for very cheap, there isn't any electricity in the village, so don't forget candles, battery-powered radio and so on. This way you are sure to wake up in front of the wave and surf all day (there isn't much else to do here). To find Christian, the best way, is to stop at the spot and surf it or be visible with some boards in front of the spot and Christian will come to you and greet you. Another option is to stay in Chañaral, they are several pensions in the main street that can lodge you for around 10 bucks a day per person, and drive every day to and back from Portofino.

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Things To Do
Well if you are in Portofino, not much, surf your mind out for a start. Bring some books and music in case they aren't any waves and relax, use this as a nice cool break on a large 20 hours+ trip between the extreme North of the country and the Santiago Region, barbecue, bathe in the sun. You can go to Chañaral, to check your mail, there are a couple of cyber coffees in the center. And last but not least be sure to not leave the place without having met Señora Maria, a colorful 70 years old granny that will also come and greet and chat with any visitors coming by, she's often pictured in magazines about the Region.
Surf Shops
Nope, not one, be it in Portofino or Chañaral... Be sure to bring everything you need!

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